We're Expecting!

Over the past year, our student ministry has begun to raise money to build a water well in an orphanage in Swaziland, and through this project we have encouraged our students to pray "Jesus, break my heart for what breaks yours." 

That prayer is very easily said but a lot harder to grasp when you take a look at your own life. David and I have been living in a comfortable place, but God has been stirring in us something greater, something that requires a step of faith.

As some of you know, David and I have been trying for several years to get pregnant, but the months have come and went with no change. We have experienced some disappointment each month, but not overwhelming disappointment or grief - knowing that God was in control of our future. 

As we began to pray and ask for direction for what God has for us in this next stage of life, we began to feel led to the idea of foster care or adoption. We believe that since we aren't getting pregnant - there is a reason.

There are many ways to create or build a family and we have chosen to start building our family through foster care. 

Foster Care is complicated: each child's situation and story is unique. Why the child's biological family was unable to care for him/her is private. For a foster child, this is their story to tell when they are adults, with the closest people in their lives. But what we can tell you is that we are blessed to have been given the opportunity to parent these children; however long they are with us. 

We may or may not have the opportunity to adopt our foster child, but just like a biological child our love for him/her is born and grown from our hearts. This makes him/her our real, chosen beloved son/daughter. 

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27 

The words of the Bible are those of sacrifice and deliverance, and as Christians we are to proclaim that story in every area of our lives.

Seeking to be obedient to that command, we are excited to strive to show the children, in our home the love of Christ, which is certainly unconditional but grounded in discipline. At the same time, we want to pray for their parents' deliverance and restoration, lovingly speaking the truth of the gospel into their lives as often as we get the chance, and expecting the Lord to be faithful to His promise in Isaiah 55:11 that His word will accomplish His purposes.

We are aware that this is going to be difficult (to say the least). We don't have any false hopes that we are fully prepared or that the road is going to be easy. But, we rest in the fact that 2 Timothy 3:16-17 promises us, "All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."  We are simply being obedient to Christ, and we are expecting Him to do the work of equipping us and walking with us every step of the way.

I am sure that there will be tough days and long nights, however, we are so excited to be able to reach out past the hard times because we want to love Jesus with wild abandon, putting our hearts and energy on the line, in order to bring glory to His name and see lives radically changed. 

Welcome to our new journey! :)